Tracks

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Album Notes

I believe ‘Purple Rain’ is one of the best songs ever written… it’s certainly one of the greatest to sing. It means so much to me that this particular live performance was recorded as it is imbued with all the emotion of knowing I’d finally made it and yet at the same time, it was all over, I couldn’t do it anymore. I just couldn’t stand up or get around unaided any longer, but determined to push through this one last time. I should have already been on crutches permanently, but hated that impression and what I saw as giving in to my condition, allowing it to win… in fact by increasing the stress and strain on my body I heightened the level of pain and defensive bracing of the musculature, hastening postural deterioration. I had dragged myself up off the bare floorboards in an adjacent room only minutes prior to going on stage. It was in London, at a Capital Radio Expo’. The day before we’d set up on the ground floor of the building, evidently however being a powerful singer, still within earshot of the Capital Radio DJs podium, for when I started singing his captivated audience left and came to listen to me instead, staying for the duration of my set of my own songs. The Capital Radio DJ wasn’t happy about this and so the organisers of the event, ‘offered’ to resituate me and the production company I was with, free of charge, several floors up in a room which would otherwise have cost us £15000. It was plush… we loved it and it made a great impression as it was ‘The Big Time’ quality.I wasn’t aware that it had, but apparently the word had gone out about my singing performances the day before because not only was the room jam-packed, with more trying to pile in all the time, the corridors also thronged with people who’d come to hear me. Initially, it was quite a shock and a bit ‘Rabbit in the headlights’, to go from lying out in agony on the floor only minutes before wishing for stronger painkillers, to seeing this crowd and hearing the buzz of anticipation; I imagine I was no less shocked than Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were to find themselves confronted with the entire Mexican Army as opposed to a handful of Federales at the end of the movie. However, the adrenalin kicked in and the former feelings quickly morphed to pleasant surprise, excited anticipation and resolve to give the performance my all. Due to all this surrounding and imbuing this performance, it was certainly most memorable for me. I hope you like it. All comments welcome.